So here is my plan. I am going to try to hit the bigger events and then just fill in what happened the rest of June. And apparently I may have to do that for July too.
Thursday June 7th was the dedication of a free clinic that will soon be opening in our town. Not just a free clinic, but the Dr. Mary Ludwig Free Clinic. How exciting! I am so proud of my grandma who is honored to have it named after her, and also proud of my town for taking action. Some of the best things come from saying you will do something and carry through with it. That sounds obvious but all too often I feel things are said and planned and talked about but don't go anywhere. Many people talked and were thanked at the dedication including my grandma. It was so cute-she told me at her house that me giving a speech at the Hoosier Hero banquet inspired her and gave her the courage to give one then. And possibly even funnier is that you can find it on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXWUlKDM_Vc See and hear it for yourself!
Wednesday June 20 after I got home from babysitting I packed up and left with my mom and Dan to Saint Louis! We stayed the night in a really cool/unique hotel and went to the first day of SLU 101 (freshmen orientation) on Thursday.
It was fun getting split into smaller groups, getting to meet people in my class, and meeting the enthusiastic upperclassmen leaders. The day also consisted of a meeting with my academic advisor and scheduling my classes, a talk by one of the pt directors and making friends with Amanda who is also majoring in pt, meeting a lively friend named Jerelle and eating dinner with her, trivia night, meeting and hanging out with Anna the girl who I planned on rooming with, other late night activities like playing pool and games of signs. Then I went to bed in a dorm room and got up the next day to finish the SLU 101 program.
Friday June 22 which consisted of hearing talks by the department of safety, student success, and a really funny student panel where we could ask them questions to answer. We also met with our small groups again, had lunch, and attended this little activity fair thing. I am so excited to be going to SLU! I love it. What it is about and the beautiful campus and all of the exciting opportunities available and how sincerely and genuinely nice everyone is and wishes the best for my incoming class!
The rest of my June days were fun and filled with excitement as well, but it is easier to clump it together because much of it was repetitive rather than just one time events like the clinic dedication and SLU101.
This summer I have 4 jobs: 1)mowing Wabash College's Newman Center. 2) Bon Appetit catering. 3) cleaning house for an older woman that lives in Greencastle. 4) Babysitting. Well there has been no rain, which means no grass has grown its literally brown and dead and dry all over town, so no mowing. And I was scheduled once (the whole month of June) with my catering job. It was a wedding (and really hot inside with no a/c) but it was lovely. I do clean. Every other Tuesday. And it is pretty good I suppose. The lady is a sweetheart and the drive there is kind of fun to just sit in my car and listen to music and I guess the cleaning isn't so bad.
Then there is babysitting. I babysat for Jensen 5 different days in the month of June. Maybe that doesn't sound like so much, but it is. At least I think. I love it! I love Jensen. He will be three in October and is so smart and wise way beyond his years. He always amazes me. It's like he is a little man. He eats better than I do (for example cereal with milk, a banana, blueberries, and juice for breakfast. egg salad or pb&j sandwich for lunch with avocado or hummus and chips or cottage cheese or an orange. and for dinner its been scrambled eggs, spaghetti with sauce, and similar sides to lunch). Crazy.
We play outside a lot. In the sandbox and with his various trucks and excavators and tractors and stuff. We also sometimes visit the strawberry and the raspberry patches to pick and eat the yummy fruit. He loves it and so do I! They live on and own an organic farm and it is so cool! That is also part of the reason he eats so well I'm thinking.
We also spend time inside playing with his trains and cars and play dough and painting and doing puzzles. I love that he is always busy playing instead of just sitting watching tv-sometimes he is allowed to watch one episode of Curious George or a half hour of Cars.
He is constantly asking why. To everything. And is very observant. He also amazes me that when it gets about 2 or 2:30 and I take him upstairs for his nap he has never thrown a fit or been upset. He just accepts it. After reading to him (which I love) I go downstairs and he stays in his bed and falls asleep all on his own. And when I go upstairs in the morning when he wakes up or when he wakes up from his nap he is always happy and ready to play!
I spent many June days smiling by Josue's side. (as I write this we are no longer together. That in itself is so hard, as is writing about the days we were. I cherish the time we spent together and would not wish it away ever or just leave it out from my blog. I just felt like it was important to put this side note in here that we are apart, but I will have to fill in that gap as I get to writing about the end of July). We walked dogs at the animal shelter and played with Maggie as well. I love watching him interact with the dogs and always tried to convince him to adopt one.
We also occasionally played soccer which was so much fun! He is so good and I miss being on the team and going to summer things. We went on morning runs sometimes-he is such a great motivator and always kept at my pace.
and we watched movies together (I really recommend The Lincoln Lawyer) and visited with my family and my grandparents.
Sometimes we went out to eat or for ice cream or made our own dinner.
He never made a fuss when I always pulled out my phone to take a picture (or a few!) or got my mom to take some.
In June I celebrated by my mom and dan's and my grandparents' anniversaries by going out to dinner at A Country A Fair. Josue joined in both of these dinners.
I also spent days at my grandparents pool floating around in the sun. Sometimes by myself, or with my mom, or brother, or Josue, or friends like Alex, Steph, and Hannah.
Alex was in Italy for most of June, home about a week, and then headed to her internship in Chicago. When she was home Hannah, Steph, and I got together with her not once, but twice! I love hanging out with them and am so happy we made it happen when we had the chance. (I do not understand why these pictures won't rotate. And as much as it annoys and bothers me it's just how they're going to have to stay.)
Other June days were spent hanging out with Hilary and sometimes with Colby too, watching old seasons of Gossip Girl with Sarah, and going with to pick up Maria from camp then meeting the Salazar's afterwards for ice cream!
